The Horse's Head

#583) Hallelujah (1929)

OR “Zeke No Evil”

Directed by King Vidor

Written by Wanda Tuchock. Story by King Vidor, treatment by Richard Schayer, dialogue by Ransom Rideout.

Class of 2008

The Plot: Zeke (Daniel L. Haynes) is a sharecropper who is able to sell his cotton crop for $100 (about $1500 today). Zeke loses all of it in a crap game against Hot Shot (William Fountaine), in cahoots with his girlfriend Chick (Nina Mae McKinney). When Zeke confronts Hot Shot, a fight ensues, leading to the murder of Zeke’s brother Spunk (Everett McGarrity). Traumatized by this tragic event, Zeke becomes a preacher, and starts a new life leading a revival tour. A few years later, Zeke runs into Chick and Hot Shot, and attempts to sway the pair to atone for their sins. Chick is tempted, but Zeke is equally tempted to leave his wife Missy Rose (Victoria Spivey) for Chick. All of this in one of the first major all-Black movies in American film history.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film “among the very first indisputable masterpieces of the sound era”, praising its “passionate conviction of the melodrama” and “resourceful technical experiments”.

But Does It Really?: This is definitely in the “two steps forward, one step back” category of progressive films. Sure, by 1929 standards “Hallelujah” is a revolutionary and nuanced depiction of African-American life. By modern standards, however, it’s a difficult watch filled with Black characters that are either “happy slaves” or swindling con artists. That being said, “Hallelujah” crawled so that other, better movies could run. The film is deserving of its spot on the NFR, I just wouldn’t recommend it to a casual moviegoer.

Everybody Gets One: Just a few years away from becoming a big name in nightclubs in both America and Europe, Nina Mae McKinney was initially cast in a minor role in “Hallelujah”, but took over the part of Chick when original lead Honey Brown injured herself. McKinney’s subsequent film career (as well as a successful tour of Europe in the 1930s) earned her the nickname “Black Garbo”.

Wow, That’s Dated: I’m pretty sure I covered the film’s most dated aspect in the “But Does It Really?” section.

Seriously, Oscars?: “Hallelujah” was a hit in its day and received one Oscar nomination: Best Director for King Vidor (his second nomination). Due to the Oscar’s eligibility calendar that year (August 1929 to July 1930), Vidor lost to one of the biggest hits of 1930: “All Quiet on the Western Front“.

Other notes 

• King Vidor had been trying to persuade MGM for years to let him make a movie about African-American life, but MGM always declined, stating that a film with an all-Black cast lacked box office appeal. Vidor finally got approval once he agreed to defer his salary, only receiving a percentage of the film’s grosses if it was successful. Vidor wrote the initial story outline himself, and travelled to Chicago and New York to find the best Black talent he could for “Hallelujah”.
• “Hallelujah” began as a silent feature, but production went so well that MGM made it a sound feature mid-production, causing Vidor to reshoot much of the movie. For the Tennessee location shooting that would be too expensive to reshoot, early dubbing and synching technology was used.
• It was made abundantly clear to me within the first few moments just how tough a watch this was going to be. The film’s opening sequences are Zeke and his family happily picking cotton in a field while singing spirituals. Are we supposed to be happy for them? Again, this is very progressive by 1929 standards because they have names and aren’t White actors in blackface.

• Of course, the film’s major setback is that it was directed and conceived by a White Hungarian-American whose only experience with African-American life had been what he witnessed as a child in Galveston, Texas. Adding insult to injury, two of the “spirituals” in this movie were written by Irving Berlin!
• Today on “Wow, That’s Becoming Dated”: Two of Zeke’s siblings are named Sears and Roebuck, after the department store that, as of this writing, is in the midsts of “a slow motion liquidation”, with only about 70 or so stores left.
• As I’ve come to expect with early sound pictures, there’s a lot of jerky camera movement in “Hallelujah”. Sound cameras were bulky compared to the kind used for silent films, hence the awkward movement in films like this. Scenes initially shot silently stand out for their fluidity and more artistic compositions.
• Shoutout to William Fountaine, who rewrote his own lines while playing Hot Shot, stating that he “wouldn’t be able to return to Harlem” if he spoke his stereotype-heavy dialogue as written.

• I know they’re referring to the dice game, but it’s still weird hearing people in a ’20s movie say the word “craps”.
• God this movie is such a downer. At least none of the Black stereotypes in “Stormy Weather” got murdered halfway through.
• “Hallelujah” would pair well with “Black and Tan” and/or “St. Louis Blues“, the two NFR shorts that also depict Black living in the late ’20s through popular songs. The film would also work as a double feature with “The Blood of Jesus” Spencer Williams’ religious-themed All-Black film, or “Body and Soul“, the Oscar Micheaux movie that also features a preacher with a dark past.
• It was around hour fifteen of Zeke’s sermon that I was convinced this movie will feature every spiritual ever written. Hey, as long as you don’t have to pay for them, right? That being said, Zeke sure knows how to work a crowd. It helps that Daniel Haynes was a preacher in real life.

• Chick has the best character arc in the show, and it’s a shame Nina Mae McKinney isn’t a better actor. She’s not bad, she just doesn’t have the range to pull off this character.
• What a weird ending. Is the point that no one can truly change? Seems like a downer for this subject matter. Whatever the outcome, all I know is that Missy Rose deserves better.
• There is a lot that could be unpacked regarding this film’s depiction of African-Americans, and the pros and cons of that depiction, but that is for somewhere more educated (and significantly less White) than I. Suffice it to say that there is a lot to learn from “Hallelujah”, and like so many of the movies on this list, there’s some homework that needs to be done to truly appreciate it. In the end, “Hallelujah” isn’t “Birth of a Nation” offensive, but it ain’t exactly “Moonlight” either.

Legacy 

• “Hallelujah” had two New York premieres: one in lower Manhattan and one in Harlem. Both went well, and “Hallelujah” was well received by critics and audiences in its day. Following its initial run, “Hallelujah” has more or less become a movie solely for film academics; a stepping stone for more nuanced portrayal of Black life. Believe it or not, the film’s Wikipedia page is a good starting point to discuss this film’s depiction of race, citing critics with strong arguments on both sides of this film’s legacy.

#582) Glimpse of the Garden (1957)

OR “The Plot Thickens”

Directed by Marie Menken

Class of 2007

The Plot: “Glimpse of the Garden” lives up to its title as Marie Menken shows off beautiful glimpses of a friend’s garden. As the sounds of birds and insects provide the ambiance, Menken gives us a peek at the various flora the garden has to offer. And because Menken is an experimental filmmaker, we get quick cuts and unconventional angles just to keep things interesting.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls it “beautifully lyrical”, “surprisingly joyful” and “among the more accessible works of avant-garde filmmakers.”

But Does It Really?: Well, I’m lenient with every other experimental filmmaker on this list, might as well be for Marie Menken, especially since she’s one of the earlier experimental types on the NFR, and – as we’ll see – left quite an interesting mark on pop culture. Welcome aboard, Marie!

Everybody Gets One: Originally from New York City, Marie Menken started out as a painter, but her love of playing with light and her desire for a less-static medium led to her transition to filmmaking. Her first film was 1945’s “Visual Variations on Noguchi”, a short montage of sculptures by Isamu Noguchi. Menken was married to fellow filmmaker and poet Willard Maas, and their marriage was a tempestuous one, marked by long bouts of drinking and shouting matches. (Not fun, I know, but trust me, this will come back later)

Seriously, Oscars?: No Oscars for “Garden”, but the film won an award at the Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles in 1958. You can see the award on the film’s Wikipedia page, which appears to be either a medal or a commemorative coin of some kind.

Other notes

• The opening titles thank Dwight Ripley, a botanist and poet who socialized in some of the same New York art circles as Marie Menken in the early ’40s. “Glimpse” is filmed at Ripley’s garden on his farmhouse property near Wappingers Falls, New York.
• “Glimpse of the Garden” is an off-shoot of the “Staring at Water” movies that permeate this list that I have dubbed “Staring at Plants”. But don’t worry, they never stay on one plant for too long.
• This movie definitely proves how bad I am at identifying plant types. I felt like I was singing “Little Boxes” while watching this: “There’s a green one, and a pink one, and a blue one, and a yellow one…”
• As the film progresses, the shots get more artsy, with more quick cuts and extreme close-ups of the plant life. Some close ups are so extreme I’m still not quite sure what part of the plant I was looking at. As with many movies, it’s not what you’re filming, but how you’re filming it.

Legacy

• Marie Menken would continue making films for another decade after “Glimpse”, most notably 1962’s “Notebook”, which was a collection of outtakes from her previous films. Menkin died on December 29^th 1970 of an alcohol-related illness, and Willard Maas died four days later.
• Among those that Marie Menken influenced with her films were Stan Brakhage and Jonas Mekas, two names that this blog has taught me are a really big deal in the world of experimental film. Also learning at the foot of Menken: Andy Warhol, and I would love to actually see one of his movies someday. Menken even appeared in a few of Andy’s films, though I don’t believe she was ever one of the “Superstars”.

• Marie Menken is considered one of the earliest filmmakers to highlight the handheld camera effect. Before that, indie filmmakers felt compelled to emulate the smooth effect of a dolly shot, but Menkin’s work changed that. Shaky cam forever!
• According to Edward Albee, the tumultuous marriage of Marie Menken and Willard Maas was his inspiration for George and Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Now you understand why I mentioned the drinking and shouting earlier.

Further Viewing: My personal favorite in the “Staring at Plants” subgenre: The ‘70s documentary “The Secret Life of Plants”. Based on the book of the same name, the film delves into the super trippy aspects of plant life, like their ability to remember and feel pain. All this, plus a Stevie Wonder soundtrack!

#581) The Big Trail (1930)

OR “Wide Load”

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Written by Hal G. Evarts (and a whole bunch of uncredited writers, including Walsh)

Class of 2006

NOTE: This post is based on my viewing of the widescreen version of “The Big Trail”.

The Plot: Around 1843, a group of settlers begin the dangerous journey from Missouri to Oregon along the famous Oregon Trail. Among those traveling with the settlers is trapper Breck Coleman (John Wayne) out to avenge the death of his friend at the hands of Red Flack (Tyrone Power Sr.). There’s also Ruth Cameron (Marguerite Churchill), a single mother who inevitably becomes this movie’s love interest, and Gus (El Brendel), a Swedish immigrant bossed around by his mother-in-law (Louise Carver). But there’s peril at every stop on this trail, all of it filmed in the widescreen process of Grandeur 70!

Why It Matters: The NFR write-up is mostly a trivia entry about John Wayne’s big break, but they do applaud the film’s “majestic sweep” and “panoramic scenes”. There’s also an essay by Raoul Walsh expert Marilyn Ann Moss.

But Does It Really?: I was completely unaware that there had been any kind of major widescreen release before the 1950s, so Grandeur 70 took me by surprise, and turned what I thought would be a standard John Wayne movie into something quite memorable. Granted, “The Big Trail” is your standard John Wayne movie, but it looks different than any other movie of its time and earns its NFR designation for both its historical and aesthetic significance. “The Big Trail” is a unique enough curio in film history to warrant a spot on the NFR, and at least one viewing for film buffs.

Every Experimental Widescreen Process Gets One: Grandeur 70 (aka Fox Grandeur) was the first major 70mm widescreen film stock in American cinema, conceived by William Fox himself, hoping to create a more grand movie experience to boost ticket sales. Fox collaborated with Theodore Case (the Movietone sound innovator responsible for this odd NFR entry), and by May 1929 the first Grandeur 70 cameras were ready to go. A few experimental shorts were filmed in the process, and “The Big Trail” was the first major film shot in Grandeur 70.

Wow, That’s Dated: While “The Big Trail” is a bit more nuanced in its portrayal of indigenous people (Breck encourages the settlers to make peace with them rather than fight), they sure do say “injuns” a lot, and there’s still an attack sequence in which the tribes are reduced to their “savages” stereotype.

Seriously, Oscars?: No Oscars for “The Big Trail” or its revolutionary cinematography. For the record, Best Cinematography was awarded that year to Floyd Crosby for another NFR film: “Tabu: A Story of the South Seas“.

Other notes

• “The Big Trail” is a movie that doesn’t have trivia, but rather statistics. According to the aforementioned Moss essay, production took four months (at a time when most movies were shot in a month), and filmed at 15 different locations in seven different states. The creatives included 22 crew members, almost 300 actors, 20,000 extras, 725 indigenous extras from five different tribes, 185 wagons, 1400 horses, 1800 head of cattle, 500 buffalo and 700 various barnyard animals. On top of all this, the crew was shooting the 70mm widescreen version, the 35mm standard version, AND the Spanish, French, Italian, and German language versions simultaneously (a common practice before dubbing technology had improved).
• Marion Morrison had appeared as an extra or bit player in a few movies during the late 1920s, and was working as a prop handler when Raoul Walsh spotted him moving large furniture pieces with minimal struggle. Walsh trusted his instinct and cast Morrison as the lead in “The Big Trail”. Credited as “Duke Morrison” in an early film, Walsh suggested Morrison change his screen name to “Anthony Wayne”. Fox executives vetoed Anthony (“too Italian”), so Walsh suggested the first name John. And now you know the rest of the story!
• Shoutout to cinematographer Arthur Edeson (as well as the 35mm version’s cinematographer, Lucien N. Andriot). The widescreen in this movie is gorgeous. As the only ’30s widescreen movie on the list, this film’s aesthetic instantly stands out. Due to technical limitations there aren’t a lot of close-ups in this movie, but if you’re just here for the spectacle, “The Big Trail” does not disappoint. Each frame is packed with big sweeping vistas, wagon trains that extend to the horizon, and background activity that give a real sense of time and place. It almost feels like a documentary, which is funny since this movie is depicting historical events from 90 years prior.
• As an actor John Wayne is…fine in this. He’s not remarkable, but you do see the beginnings of the all-American hero persona he would embody in his more iconic movies.  Also, John Wayne turned 23 during this production! He’s so young!

• El Brendel pops up in this movie as the comic relief, playing the same Swedish immigrant stereotype he played in “Wings“. On top of the stereotyping, Brendel’s subplot centers around literal mother-in-law jokes. Also adding some comic relief is Russ Powell as Windy Bill, making more animal noises than the guy from “Police Academy”, and more or less resembling Big Al from the Country Bear Jamboree.
• Most surprising among the cast to me was Tyrone Power Sr. as Red Flack. Having recently seen his performance as a sophisticated attorney in “Where Are My Children?“, I wasn’t expecting Power to show up as the heavy in a western. This is Power’s only sound film, showing off his rugged baritone.
• The major trek scenes are an impressive undertaking, and from what I understand filmed as accurately as possible. River crossings, canyon scalings; no wonder the “Oregon Trail” computer game was impossible to beat. I’m surprised no one died of dysentery in this movie.
• Like many movies of the time, the love story in “The Big Trail” is a variation of “He’s a jerk but she’s okay with it” called “He’s aggressive and she comes around to it eventually”. At least there’s all this natural beauty to look at while this is happening.
• A major character’s murder is intercut with a marriage ceremony happening on the other side of the wagons. Did Coppola watch this?
• Tully Marshall is kind of a Walter Huston-lite. He’s not a full-on grizzled prospector caricature, but dagnabbit he’s close.
• On top of all the natural hazards of wagon trains, there’s also snowfall and thunderstorms during this movie. Allegedly both of them were real occurrences. Even if that’s fabricated, it looks amazing on screen.
• Ultimately, “Big Trail” is more admirable for its location and backdrop than for its characters. That being said, I did appreciate the final scene of Breck and Ruth reuniting; their two figures dwarfed by a forest of redwoods. 

Legacy

• “The Big Trail” played at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and the Roxy Theatre in New York, the only two theaters equipped to show 70mm film. Plans were made to expand the film’s release and equip theaters with Grandeur 70 projectors, but the onset of the Great Depression, mixed with the high costs of widescreen for an industry still adjusting to sound, put an abrupt end to the theatrical exhibition of “The Big Trail”. 
• Due to the film’s financial setbacks, John Wayne was denied what should have been his breakout role in the movies. Wayne spent the rest of the ’30s in supporting roles and B-movies, and it wasn’t until 1939 that John Ford cast him in “Stagecoach” and jump-started Wayne’s career.

• Raoul Walsh would join Warner Bros. by the end of the 1930s, where he directed a bevy of movies, including future NFR entry “White Heat“.

• “The Big Trail” remained a forgotten film for over 50 years, with the 35mm “standard” version making the occasional TV appearance. The original camera negative of the 70mm version was restored by the New York Museum of Modern Art, and this print started making the cable TV rounds in the 1990s. The film started getting a reappraisal from film critics around this time as well.

• Although Grandeur 70 came and went in 1930, it did presage the abundance of widescreen processes Hollywood studios would crank out in the ’50s to combat television.

#580) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

OR “The Midnight Special”

Directed by Jim Sharman

Written by Sharman and Richard O’Brien. Based on the stage musical “The Rocky Horror Show” by O’Brien.

Class of 2005

The Plot: On a dark and stormy night [Audience shoots water pistols], engaged couple Brad Majors [ASSHOLE] and Janet Weiss [SLUT] (Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon) walk to a nearby castle for assistance when their car breaks down. They soon find themselves in the home of Dr. Frank-N-Furter [audience throws hot dogs] (Tim Curry), a “sweet transvestite” and mad scientist who has created a muscle man named Rocky [BULLWINKLE!] (Peter Hinwood). Assisted by servants Riff Raff and Magenta (Richard O’Brien and Patricia Quinn), the doctor keeps Brad and Janet from leaving, while also helping them discover new facets of their own sexuality. And I am just scratching the surface of the greatest B-movie musical in film history.

Why It Matters: The NFR’s brief paragraph on the film calls it a “low-budget cult classic” and singles out the “catchy songs”.

But Does It Really?: It’s certainly not for everyone, and some of its subject matter would still raise an eyebrow today, but the people who get this movie GET this movie, and in doing so have helped it become a classic. “Rocky Horror” has become so synonymous with its own cult following that it’s nearly impossible to separate the film from the phenomenon. Ultimately, to appreciate “Rocky Horror”, you have to accept this movie for what it is and just go with it, from its campy presentation to its unapologetic sexuality. While not a conventional NFR choice, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” does what every classic movie should: it has its own instantly identifiable aesthetic, iconic moments, and a legacy that endures year after year.

Shout Outs: Among the movies referenced in “Science Fiction/Double Feature” are NFR entries “The Day the Earth Stood Still“, “Flash Gordon“, “The Invisible Man“, “King Kong” and “Forbidden Planet” (whoa-oh-ah-oh-oooooo-oh). There’s also references to “Frankenstein“, “The Bride of Frankenstein“, “The Night of the Hunter“, and “The Wizard of Oz“. Bonus reference: one of the film’s original posters mentions its main box office competition: “Jaws“.

Everybody Gets One: Passing the time while unemployed, English/New Zealand actor Richard O’Brien wrote a musical that combined his love of B-movies, ’50s rock and roll, and the glam rock scene of the early ’70s. O’Brien showed the musical – then called “They Came from Denton High” – to director Jim Sharman, who agreed to stage the show at the Royal Court’s Theatre Upstairs, a space reserved for experimental pieces. “The Rocky Horror Show” transferred to West End’s King’s Road Theatre in August 1973 and was a runaway hit. American producer Lou Adler saw the show, and quickly bought the US theatrical rights as well as the film rights. After the conclusion of the show’s nine-month run in Los Angeles, the creatives flew back to England to shoot the movie.

Other notes

• Wow, this movie is unsettling from frame one. The first shot is an extreme closeup of Patricia Quinn’s blood-red lips mouthing along to “Science Fiction/Double Feature”. Buckle up, everyone.

• Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon were cast as a sort of compromise. Fox offered the film a larger budget if the cast included big name rock stars (Mick Jagger and Elvis Presley were mentioned). When Sharman and O’Brien declined, opting to stand by the original stage cast, Fox agreed on the condition that Brad and Janet [DAMMIT] were played by American actors.

• Unlike many musicals that started on the stage, “Rocky Horror” fares well as a film adaptation. This is partly due to the “opening up” of certain scenes, and partly the cinematic influence already baked into the show’s DNA. Also helping things is the film’s limited budget, which forces creativity across all departments
• Ah, “The Time Warp”. It’s very hard to watch this number solely within the context of the movie, but it’s a lot of fun and so damn catchy. There’s even dance instructions from Charles Gray’s Criminologist. [HE’S GOT NO FUCKING NECK!]

• Tim Curry was one of the first people to see the potential in “Rocky Horror”, and starred in its original England, Los Angeles, and New York productions. Understandably, Curry walks away with this movie as ruler of all he surveys, in his film debut no less. And he does the whole thing in heels!

• Pardon my ignorance, but are the terms “transvestite” and “transsexual” still kosher? I’d hate for this movie to become dated in regards to its identity.
• This movie requires a lot of prior knowledge of old movie stars and bodybuilders. Sure, I got the shoutouts to Fay Wray and Anne Francis, but who remembers Steve Reeves and Charles Atlas? [Audience throws confetti]

• Because it’s always worth mentioning: NFR movies with Glenn Close: 0, NFR movies with Meat Loaf: 1.

• “Hot Patootie” is fun, but is immediately followed by a truly disturbing murder. [THAT’S NO WAY TO PICK YOUR FRIENDS!]
• I was always under the impression that Susan Sarandon had spent most of her career distancing herself from this movie, but I guess she’s warmed up to it in recent years. Not surprising, even Christopher Plummer came around to embracing “The Sound of Music“.

• Columbia’s donning of mouse ears for most of the film’s second act is a good reminder that “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is now legally a Disney movie, and is the only Fox property that Disney has kept available to theaters. Even Disney knows better than to mess with “Rocky Horror” fans.
• Apparently in the L.A. production Meat Loaf also played Dr. Scott? That I would have liked to see; I’m sure he was a great Scott. [Audience throws toilet paper]

• I’ve seen “Rocky Horror” a few times over the years, and I always forget that it ends up being aliens. Still don’t see it coming. [LIKE EVERYONE IN THIS MOVIE]
• The Floor Show suite is quite the finale, with the film’s message coming across loud and clear: Don’t Dream It, Be It. The line that stuck with me most comes from “Rose Tint My World”: “Rose tints my world/Keeps me safe from my trouble and pain”

• [Spoilers] Shoutout to Nell Campbell (billed here as “Little Nell”) as groupie Columbia. The closest this movie gets to an emotional core, I was actually saddened when she’s killed off at the end. [OH SHIT, IT WORKS!]
• I love me some hand-drawn animated effects. Someone spent hours hunched over a desk drawing those blood credits and laser beams.
• I’ve said this many times on the blog, but I’ve never meant it as sincerely as I do with “Rocky Horror”: What in God’s name is happening?
  

Legacy

• “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was a critical and commercial disaster upon release, although the UA theater in Los Angeles noted that some moviegoers came back night after night to see the film. On April 1^st 1976, “Rocky Horror” was re-released as a midnight movie at New York’s Waverly Theatre. The film finally found its audience, and soon “Rocky Horror” was playing as a midnight movie in hundreds of theaters across the country. Some viewers started bringing props and shouting back at the screen as a way to entertain themselves, which quickly became part of the midnight screening rituals. The film soon developed a following larger than most religions, and “Rocky Horror” is the most successful cult film of all time. 

• In antici…. [SAY IT!]…pation of the film’s US release in September 1975, Lou Adler also backed the show’s first New York production on Broadway. “Rocky Horror” opened in March 1975…and closed in April 1975. At least the Tony Awards nominated it for Lighting Design. A revival in 2001 fared a little better.

• Richard O’Brien has tried many times over the years to make a sequel to the stage and/or film version of “Rocky Horror”, with such titles as “Rocky Horror Shows His Heels”, “Revenge of the Old Queen” and “Rocky Horror: The Second Coming”. None of the projects got too far, however, due to a lack of interest from the original cast and creatives. O’Brien and Jim Sharman did reunite in 1981 to make pseudo-sequel “Shock Treatment”, which has a minor cult following of its own.

• As part of the wave of TV movie musical remakes we got throughout the 2010s, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again” tried to be both a remake of and tribute to the original film, including a framing device of an audience watching a midnight screening of the film. Even the natural charisma of Laverne Cox and stunt casting of Tim Curry couldn’t save this one.

• “Rocky Horror” doesn’t so much have parodies as it does homages. I’ve always been partial to the tribute to “The Time Warp” on “The Drew Carey Show”, with “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” thrown in for fun.

• I’m also amused by the extended sequence in “Fame” where the characters attend a midnight screening. “Fame”: the movie that just gives up and watches another movie instead.

• Tim Curry and Meat Loaf reunited on “SNL” in a sketch about their “Rocky Horror” shop. Like most of early ’80s “SNL”, [HOW’S YOUR SEX LIFE, BRAD?] it’s negligible.

• “Rocky Horror” joins the elite list of NFR movies with not one, but TWO video game adaptations.

• According to the documentary “These Amazing Shadows”, entertainment executive/National Film Preservation Board member John Ptak suggested “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” for NFR consideration, citing its cult following and continued popularity. Then-Librarian of Congress Dr. James H. Billington agreed to the inclusion, stating that the conversation about a “Rocky Horror” induction “certainly broadened [his] horizon” in regards to which films are truly NFR-worthy.

FYNFRC: Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda does not have a single movie on the National Film Registry.

I will repeat that: Jane Fonda does not have a single movie on the National Film Registry.

Impossible, right? But with the exception of quick archival clips in “Precious Images“, none of Jane Fonda’s filmography has been added to the National Film Registry as of this writing. Her father Henry Fonda has eight movies on the list, brother Peter has one; hell, even her niece Bridget shows up in “Easy Rider“. Despite her legendary status, her iconic filmography, and her remarkable longevity in a business that shuns any woman who dares to age, Jane Fonda has yet to appear on a list of films that has inducted the likes of Fran Drescher, Martin Lawrence, and the kid from “Dennis the Menace”.

Thankfully, you – the movie-viewing public – can nominate any American film you want for NFR consideration. If you’re thinking of submitting one of Jane’s movies to the Registry, here are a few titles that stand out for their cultural, historical, and/or aesthetic significance. Side note: Sorry “Barbarella” fans, but that movie was a French-Italian co-production.

Cat Ballou (1965): The quintessential western spoof before “Blazing Saddles” came along, “Cat Ballou” represents Fonda’s early film work in light comedy, and helped solidify her standing as a movie star. Plus, it got Lee Marvin an Oscar!

Barefoot in the Park (1967): Most years I submit “The Odd Couple” for NFR consideration as representation of the plethora of hit Neil Simon comedies we got in the ’60s and ’70s. That being said, “Barefoot” would be a fine substitution, with great early performances from both Fonda and Robert Redford. My other option in the Jane Fonda/Neil Simon collaborations would be “California Suite” which….no, not happening.

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969): This drama set at a Depression-era dance marathon proved that Fonda was more than just another Ann-Margret type sex kitten, and could easily carry the weight of a period drama (and a dead Red Buttons) on her back. The film was also an early success for its up-and-coming director, Sydney Pollack.

Klute (1971): “Horses” earned Fonda her first Oscar nomination, but “Klute” won her the trophy. As a call-girl mixed up in a missing persons case, Fonda added complexities to the “hooker with a heart of gold” trope that ended up enhancing her feminist ideology, rather than detracting from it.

F.T.A. (1972): If the NFR wants to recognize Fonda’s politics among its ranks, look no further than “F.T.A.”. Francine Parker’s documentary chronicles Fonda (along with her “Klute” co-star Donald Sutherland and many other performers) as they travel to army bases in the Pacific Rim with their anti-Vietnam revue, the antithesis of Bob Hope’s pro-Vietnam USO tours of the time.

Julia (1977): Who better to play controversial activist and artist Lillian Hellman than controversial activist and artist Jane Fonda? “Julia” has a lot going for it: it is the penultimate film of director Fred Zinnemann, it was the film debut for a 30 year old stage actor named Meryl Streep, and it attracted a large share of controversy in its day, thanks to Fonda as well as the film’s other NFR-less star: Vanessa Redgrave.

Coming Home (1978): The post-Vietnam movie for everyone too emotionally drained to watch “The Deer Hunter” again, “Coming Home” sees Fonda as a military wife who develops a relationship with a paraplegic veteran (Jon Voight) while her husband (Bruce Dern) is in Vietnam. Jane served as the “muscle” for “Coming Home”: producing the film with her own company (IPC Films), hiring the creatives and helping re-write the screenplay. For her efforts, she received her second Best Actress Oscar.

The China Syndrome (1979): Part social drama, part ’70s disaster movie, “The China Syndrome” tackled the dangers of nuclear power, and unexpectedly entered the zeitgeist when Three Mile Island had a partial meltdown days after the film’s release. In addition to getting Fonda on the NFR, “China Syndrome” would add another Jack Lemmon movie (vastly underrepresented with three of his early films), and would be the first with a Michael Douglas performance (Douglas is only on the list as the producer of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest“).

9 to 5 (1980): While it’s not a “Jane Fonda movie” per se, “9 to 5” is my annual pick to get Jane on this list. Like so many of the movies we’ve discussed, “9 to 5” speaks to real-world issues of its time, in this case the gender gap for women in the workplace. In a filmography with over 50 movies, “9 to 5” may be the most memorable and timeless of Fonda’s films. It’s a comedy classic, with outstanding work from Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton, the latter of whom penned one of the most iconic songs in film history. You’re humming it right now, aren’t you?

On Golden Pond (1981): Again, not a vehicle for Ms. Fonda, but one that she championed, leading to the only film collaboration between her and Henry Fonda. As a play, “On Golden Pond” wasn’t the most profound or dimensional character study, but with Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn in the leads, the film version goes beyond its contemplation of old-age and serves as a curtain call for Classic Hollywood. Plus, if this and “9 to 5” make the list, they will join “Tootsie” in my unofficial “Smarmy Dabney Coleman” trilogy.

Jane Fonda’s Workout (1982): This is NOT a joke: Smithsonian archivist and National Film Preservation Board member Wendy Shay has pushed for the NFR to add “Jane Fonda’s Workout” multiple times through the years, and the title appears on their official list of films not yet on the Registry. I get it: “Workout” was the biggest video cassette of the 1980s, and Fonda was the first major celebrity to embrace the lucrative world of VHS productions. Plus, after almost five years of watching classic movies every week, I could use the exercise.

Monster-In-Law (2005): Okay, this one IS a joke. Moving on…

Hopefully, one or more of these titles will compel you to nominate them for NFR consideration. Hell, nominate all of them if you want, and be sure to add your own favorites. I’m confident Jane Fonda will make the NFR someday, but the question is: which movie will finally welcome her to the club?